It's Only a Cartoon
by whitem
Summary: Is it really only 'Just a cartoon?  For some people it's so much more...


Wow… Story number 115…

I've had this idea for a while now, and it took me three tries to finally start it the way I wanted to. KT's last story inspired me to finally finish it. I hope y'all like this final version.

Disclaimer: Once again, the characters used in this story aren't mine, and I do not lay claim to their creation. I also do not have any ties to the real-life company referenced in this story.

It's Only a Cartoon

Ron Stoppable hated his job, but it was something he had to do, so for the 3rd day in a row he dragged himself out of bed at 5:00 in the morning. He looked around his small studio apartment and sighed when he saw how much of a mess the place had become.

Going into the bathroom to shower, Ron flipped on the small radio he liked to have going while he went through his 'morning rituals'. He stepped out of the shower just as the news came on.

_Looks like we have a strong chance of a Monsoon storm today in Phoenix, about a 45 percent chance, to be exact. So keep an eye on the skies, and your radio tuned to this station. We'll keep you informed. _

So now that the weather is out of the way, let's see if we can brighten your day with some Green Day, and the Transformers 2 soundtrack. Here's their new song, 21 Guns.

Ron tried to sing along with the song while brushing his teeth, but he still couldn't hit the high notes. As a result of his trying though, he succeeded in spraying the mirror with toothpaste.

"Aww Mann! Not again…" He took his towel and cleaned up the mess.

After finishing in the bathroom, Ron quickly got dressed in his work clothes, which consisted of a Polo-Style collared shirt, and tan pants. "Ugh…Whoever said this looked good… They lied."

After wolfing down a breakfast bar and a glass of milk, Ron headed out for a mundane job at his mundane place of work… Wally World. Or, as it was more commonly known, Wal-Mart.

The young blond boy's job was considered a maintenance position in the store, but really, all he was, was a janitor. He swept the floors, helped put up displays, and…

_"Yo, Ron…"_ A voice said from the radio that hung from his belt. _"You got a cleanup in Electronics next to the TV's."_

… cleaned up puke.

Ron had been on his first break when he was notified about the cleanup, and he was watching a recording of his favorite show that was saved onto his Blackberry. He had to be careful to make sure no one found out he watched a TV show while he was on the job, but ever since he had found this show, he just couldn't get enough. Not only would he get in trouble for watching this while on the job… But he would be incessantly ribbed by his coworkers because said show was a… cartoon.

But to Ron this wasn't just any cartoon. It was about a high school cheerleader that fought villain's whenever she could, all while going to school and handling the many aspects of her high school life. There was something about the show that seemed more than just familiar, but Ron just couldn't put his finger on it. All he knew at this point was that he liked to watch it.

The same voice came over his radio once again. _"C'mon Ron… Get it in gear. It's starting to really stink over here, and I'm losing sales!"_

"I'll be right there. I was in the middle of something." He replied, put the radio back onto his belt, and headed for the Electronics Department with the Spill Clean-up Kit. Before Ron even arrived in the department, he caught a whiff of what was waiting for him. Quickly he donned a white mask over his mouth and nose, and put on latex gloves as well.

Sure enough, when he arrived in Electronics, there in front of a TV Display was what he had to clean up. Now that Ron was closer and saw it, he felt his own stomach lurch a bit. Swallowing hard, Ron tried to breathe only out of his mouth to avoid the smell, but it didn't help very much.

He immediately grabbed the Kitty Litter bag used just for these occasions, and dumped copious amounts of the absorbent material over the offending substance. As soon as it was completely covered, the smell started to dissipate, and he felt a bit better.

After waiting for a few minutes to let the Kitty Litter do it's job, Ron grabbed the floor broom and started to move it around so it would pick up as much as possible. He smiled a bit to himself when thought of the word 'Possible'.

Ron then took the small plastic shovel from his cart and started to move the mess into a large yellow bag. Just as he was tying the bag off, Ron heard a loud boom outside, causing him to raise his head in surprise.

"Wow… That was a close one." Marcus said next to Ron, the Electronics Dept. Assistant Manager. Looks like we've got a pretty good Monsoon coming through. It's possible we might…" The lights then flickered throughout the store. "… Lose power, so be ready for anything. I need to go keep an eye on a movie display to make sure no one walks out with any movies if we **do** lose power. See you in a bit."

Ron nodded and double bagged the kitty litter he just picked up. Another loud boom was heard outside, and this time the lights of the store did flicker, but they didn't go out. He then placed all of his equipment back on his cart, and Ron was just leaving the electronics department when another clap of thunder was heard, and it was much louder than the other two. This time the lights flickered a couple times, and then went out all together.

"Aww Mann…" Ron said, and the emergency lights came on throughout the store, casting long eerie shadows everywhere. He took a step to leave the area and knocked the broom off of his cart. Just as he picked the broom of the floor Ron caught another light out of the corner of his eye. It came from one of the large plasma TV's on display, and it was filled with static.

Ron walked over to the 50-inch television, and for the life of him he couldn't figure out how the TV was still on. "Maybe it has some sort of back up power system?" He mumbled to himself.

It was also the fact that this was the only TV on, and that had confused him. Ron stepped closer to the screen to inspect it closer when suddenly a picture came on the screen, causing him to jump back a bit.

There playing on the screen, was the cartoon show he had just been watching on his phone earlier. It was a repeat episode, as it was the one in which Kim was sucked into a TV by Drakken's Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer, which was one of his favorite episodes. When he saw the characters get sucked into the large screen TV on the show, the TV he was looking at suddenly went black. Initially Ron thought the unit had either finally turned off or shorted out from the storm, but then he thought he saw something moving in the darkness on the screen. It was like a shadow on a black background.

"What in the world…" Ron said, then suddenly something happened that he couldn't quite believe. A hand came out of the screen, and it slowly reached for him. Stepping back, he tripped over a corner of his cart, and landed hard on his butt. He looked back up at the screen, and his mouth almost hit the floor with disbelief at what he was now looking at.

Leaning about half way out of the screen, the cartoon character from his favorite show, Kim Possible, was coming out of the television. It looked like she was saying something, and beckoned him to come closer.

All Ron could do was look at her, as this was such a strange thing to see. He immediately looked around the immediate area to see if anyone else was around to witness the same thing he was looking at, but alas there was no one else.

With the aid of the broom Ron slowly stood up, and just looked into the deep green eyes of none other than the cartoon character Kim Possible. She seemed to be saying his name as she continued to beckon him over to her. Ron took a small step towards this strange sight. Slowly he inched closer and closer and before he could react, one of her hands snapped out and grabbed onto his shirt lapel, and pulled.

His scream echoed through the store, culminating with the clattering of the broom handle that he had been holding onto the entire time.

With a groan, Ron opened his eyes. "Wh… where am I?" He said and standing right in front of him with a huge smile on her face was non-other than the cartoon character Kim Possible! "Ahhh!"

Ron threw himself backwards into a wall, and this Kim Possible character just stood there looking at him with what appeared to be concern on her face. She took her PDA device out of her pocket, pressed a few buttons, and then looked like she was speaking into it. Then she turned the device around and showed the screen to Ron.

Words scrolled across the screen, which he read: _Ron… Don't you recognize me? I'm Kim… Kim Possible. You know, your best friend? I can't hear you, and I don't think you can hear me. _

She then turned the device back around and spoke into it again. It was then that Ron figured out that the device she was speaking into was converting her speech into typed words so he could read it. She turned the device back around and he read the next message: _You look so… different. Do you feel OK?_ Ron slowly nodded, feeling quite confused, and a little bit scared.

Suddenly Ron slapped his forehead as if he remembered something, and reached both of his hands into his pockets. One hand brought out a pen, and his other hand pulled out a small notebook. He quickly opened the small paper tablet, wrote a note, and then turned it around so Kim could read it.

What is going on here? You're a cartoon, and I'm a human being. How can we be having this conversation?

From this point on, the conversation continued by Kim using her Kimmunicator to speak to Ron, and Ron using his pad and paper to speak to Kim.

"Don't you remember what happened Ron? Drakken's PDVI powered laser cannon pulled us into the television. You completely disappeared, but me, Drakken, and Shego all ended up going through different channels on the TV."

"What are you talking about? I'm a person. A human being. I was never a… cartoon character."

"Ron… I know this must be hard to understand but think back. Do you remember anything strange at all happening? That is before you saw me coming out of the television?"

"No… Not really. I actually can't remember much past the last 3 days."

"And you don't think that's just a little strange?" Was her response.

"Well… yeah, now that I think about it."

It was a strange sight to be sure. A very human-looking Ron stoppable and the cartoon character Kim Possible just… stood there for a little bit, looking at each other trying to figure out what to do next.

Kim spoke into her Kimmunicator again and showed the screen to Ron. "Maybe Wade can help us out. Follow me."

Kim started to walk away and Ron went to follow, but then stopped. What am I thinking? He thought to himself. This has got to be a dream, or something. I mean, I can't be in a… a… cartoon, can I? So I should be able to get out of here if I wake up.

Closing his eyes, Ron then started to silently speak to himself, trying to wake himself up. "It's only a cartoon. It's only a cartoon. It's only a cartoon." Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Looking up, Ron saw the small screen once again pointing towards him, and the words said, "It's NOT only a cartoon Ron. It's where you're supposed to be. It's… where you belong."

Kim then put her hand out, and Ron hesitantly took it. When they touched, Kim's features started to change. The change started from the top of her head and moved down to her feet. Once again, his jaw dropped in surprise, which seemed like something he had been doing a lot lately. Now Kim looked… well, she looked… human. Everything about her had a 'real' look, from her hair, to her skin, and to her clothes. What Ron didn't know, was that Kim was now seeing him as a cartoon character.

"You are so pretty." Ron said aloud.

"Thanks Ron." Kim said with a blush and a smile. "You don't look half-bad yourself."

"Wait… you can hear me now?"

"I sure can." Kim said, and placed her other all too human hand on his now 'Cartoonified' cheek. "I think as long as we are touching we can communicate. Wade just told me to take your hand, and as soon as I did, you now look like you belong in my world.

"And you now look like you belong in mine." Ron replied with what sounded like awe in his voice.

Kim then gave a little giggle. "Now Wade told me that to get you back to our world completely, I need to take you through this short hallway here. He said it was some sort of portal or something that will finish the process that I started when I pulled you into the television." Kim continued to hold onto Ron's hand while the two of them looked down a strange passage that was illuminated with strange shifting colors.

"But it's a trip that you need to make on your own Ron, I can't go with you. Something about a difference in the resonance between our worlds. Wade tried to explain it too me, but he started to use words that I had never heard before. Either way though, I'll be waiting for you at the other end." She then gave Ron a smile that almost made him melt in his shoes.

But then a confused look came over Ron's face. "But what if I don't want to go Kim?"

A look of fear crossed Kim's features. "Why wouldn't you Ron? You belong here. **This** is your reality." She gestured down the hall. "**This** is where you belong."

Kim then bit her lower lip and turned on the full power of her Puppy Dog Pout. It only took a few seconds for Ron to say something, but it almost seemed like a lifetime to Kim. "You know… I always thought there was something about your show that called to me."

"But it's not just a show Ron… It's not just a cartoon. It's my life… and yours as well. It's been way too long since you disappeared. I want my friend back. I want… us… back." Again she gave that dreaded look into his brown eyes, and now he had made up his mind.

"I'll see you in a little bit Ron, OK?" She then gently slid her hand out of his, and Ron watched her walk away as she slowly turned back into a cartoon character, beginning at her head and moving down to the soles of her feet. He then saw Kim stop at the other end of the hall and turn back towards him. He could then see a blurry Kim beckoning towards him to come through.

Ron rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped forward into the entrance of the hall. Almost immediately he felt a strange sensation. It was as if there was an unseen force trying to push him backwards, but he pushed on ahead. With each step he took, Kim was becoming more and more clear, but the force that he felt trying to hold him back was getting stronger as well.

While pushing forward, Ron started to feel some memories come into his mind. They were new, yet seemed so familiar, and each memory was stronger with each step Ron took: He and Kim standing in a playground as toddlers playing with a red rubber ball… Trick-or-Treating on Halloween… Fighting Dr. Drakken and Shego… Kissing in front of Kim's locker… Kissing at a dance…

Then the force holding him back intensified 10-fold, and Ron wanted nothing more than to get to the other end where he truly belonged. He fought, and pushed, and struggled. Ron slammed a shoulder into one side of the hall, making the image of Kim before him flash between his old world and hers. He slammed into the other side of the hall, still moving forward. With each shoulder slam, Kim's image became more and more clear, and less and less like the world where he had been before. By now memories were flooding back into him, spurring Ron on.

He could see Kim clearly now, watching him with tears in her eyes. Her hands were held to her chest in anticipation, willing him, almost begging him, to keep coming towards her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ron finally crossed the threshold on the other end and stumbled forward into Kim's arms.

"I made it Kim…" He huffed. "I finally made it."

"Welcome back Baby… welcome back." Kim said, while the two held each other close, not noticing the tears in each other's eyes.

"So I see the Buffoon finally made it back." Dr. Drakken said, and Ron looked around noticing that they were inside his lair.

"But Princess…" Shego was then heard to say with a bit of snarkyness in her voice, "The next time you lose your partner to another dimension, I'm NOT stealing the Pan Dimensional Vortex Inducer for you again!"

…x x x x…

Back in the other world in Phoenix Arizona, inside a large discount department store, near the back in the television department, a manager stood looking down at a small cart used to clean up messes, along with a broom that was lying on the floor.

"Now where did that guy go?" Marcus pondered while scratching his head. "For the life of me I can't think of his name, but this guy has got to realize that the job isn't finished until everything is put away. At least the lights are back on though."

Just as he picked up the broom, a DVD player underneath a 50-inch Plasma TV kicked out a disc. Must be resetting after the power came on. He thought, and pulled the disc out with his other hand.

"Kim Possible?" He said aloud to no one. "That show's been cancelled since what, 2007?"

He then made a disgusted sound with his lips. "pffft… I may as well find the case for this and put it back on the shelf. No one's gonna wanna see this playing nowadays. After all… it's only a cartoon."

The end…

* * *

And so finishes another strange and unusual idea. And now I don't think I'm going to **ever** get caught up on responding to reviews…

(Once again, Wal-mart was only used as a reference to establish that Ron was in the real world. I have no legal relationship with them at all.)


End file.
